Blue Ribbon survey names top 10 Utah destination waters; agency to present plan revisions statewide

State fisheries staff told the Utah Wildlife Board on Sept. 18 that the Blue Ribbon economic survey — used to measure economic value of fisheries — produced a top-10 list of “destination waters” whose management-plan revisions will be shared statewide as informational items.

Trina Hedrick, cold-water sport fishing coordinator, said the division selected the top 10 waters from the most recent Blue Ribbon economic survey because those waters provide outsized recreational and economic benefits to the state, particularly in rural communities. She listed the top 10 as Strawberry Reservoir, Deer Creek Reservoir, Flaming Gorge, Jordanelle, Green River, Provo River, Fishlake, Willard Bay, East Canyon Reservoir and Bear Lake.

Hedrick said management-plan changes for waters on that list will be presented to all regional advisory councils (RACs) and to the wildlife board as informational items; plan revisions for other waters will go only to the local RACs. She said the intent is to let more RACs and board members see proposals affecting waters with broad public interest, while retaining action items and formal decision-making at the appropriate local level.

Board members asked whether Lake Powell was on the list; Hedrick said Lake Powell fell from a prior top-10 position to number 22 on the most recent survey and was excluded from the top 10. She attributed that decline to lower water levels and concerns such as invasive mussels, and said the list will be updated following future Blue Ribbon surveys (typically every five years).

Panel members discussed whether the top-10 list favors northern waters because of population centers; Hedrick said the survey asked anglers about the last Blue Ribbon water they fished and that use patterns can shift over time. The division said it could update the list after future surveys and could bring the list back anytime the board or RACs request it.